In everyday life, people are forced to constantly present documents in an identity check situation. Institutions such as the police, government entities, banks, airports and hospitals require documentation to rectify that a person is who they say they are.
The value of an identification document is often underestimated in modern society. But one billion people suffer the consequences of not having how to prove their identity, according to the World Bank.
On the other hand, there is no universal identification system: every time a person travels from one country to another, he uses a document issued by the country of which he holds citizenship.
But there isn’t yet a universal, public and accessible database that includes records of all the people in the world. A platform from which institutions can also benefit.
That database will be FySelf.
Institutions that need to do an identity check and why:
State
Government entities have a dual identity function: some manage the creation of identification documents and others (most) need them to provide services to citizens or residents of the country in question.
Are you going to register a vehicle? Do you intend to join the army? Will you get the driver’s license? Will you get married? Will you enroll your children? For all that, you need to prove who you are before the competent authorities. This measure ensures that the duties and rights of a citizen are always applied with justice and to the right person.
Police
The police are a separate entity, even considering that it usually depends on the jurisdiction of the State. But, for them identification is key: would you imprison the wrong person?
One of the most common cases of identity theft is that which occurs when a person who committed a crime presents false personal documentation to keep the criminal record associated with their real personality clean.
For law enforcement forces, knowing who you are dealing with is key. That´s why they rely on identity check all the time. In police arrests or detentions, relevant documents are usually required. And identity theft itself is a crime that can be punishable up to 15 years in prison, fines and confiscation of property acquired through fraud.
Banks
Banks are one of the entities where more cases of identity theft occur. Among the various crimes of identity change identified by Francesco di Cessio, this author mentioned one that directly concerns banks: financial identity theft.
Your data can be used to request credits or use the ones you already have in an exaggerated way, create fake checks with your account number and even obtain in your name some official document. When this happens, you not only lose money, your financial reputation is also damaged.
According to this report, in the United States 50.5% of identity thefts are related to credit cards, either using new accounts as existing ones.
Embassies
Consular representations of a country in another, process many visa applications, passport orders to residents, legalization of marriage certificates, titles and other documents.
To process all such requests, officials must be completely sure who the person requesting the procedure is.
An identity card or number is not always enough for certain consular procedures. If you request by law the nationality of a country where you were not born, you will most likely have to give birth certificates of yours, your parents or grandparents that ratify how the law protects you to become a citizen of that nation.
Airports and other terminals
Before boarding a plane or traveling long distances, it is necessary to know the identity of travelers for several reasons.
One has migratory value: immigration officers at terminals of origin and destination (with greater emphasis on the latter) must ensure that the person in question has the right to enter the country where they are going.
And the second has to do with documenting each individual who is on a flight or other means of transportation. This information becomes essential in case of accidents, alleged sabotage, baggage identification, etc.
Hospitals
To enforce the social security benefits and medical guarantees of the country you live in, they may require an identity check. If you have to prove that you have an exam or procedure covered by state or private medical insurance, you will surely do so through a health card, your identity card or social security number.
Using a social security number or a health card with a false identity is a sadly common crime in several countries. It is often done with the objective of taking advantage of another person’s medical coverage, but that is not the only reason for medical identity fraud.
Some impostors impersonate other people to make false claims to insurance companies and collect the results.
Taxes
There are identity frauds related to taxes: a person pretends to be another to falsify the tax return and consequently obtain refunds.
Many times, the victim of fraud falls into phishing-type traps: he receives an alleged email from the corresponding tax entity, where they ask for sensitive personal and financial information. To avoid such incidents, it is vital to apply some basic rules of precaution.
Identity fraud in the fiscal field is so frequent that the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS), created an entity specialized in dealing with identity theft cases related to taxes.
All the institutions mentioned above (and many others) corroborate the identity of many people in their processing offices on a daily basis. They do, to a large extent, using physical documents that contrast with digital but private databases.
FySelf can become the system from which people have a universal cover letter, valid in all these institutions at the same time, without mediation of papers or photocopies of documents.
